Hey, hey, hey, we're back. We're black, We're brown.
I'm Tiffany, I'm Mandy, and I am so disappointed because last week was Juneteenth, and I forgot to mention it, and I even had it in my notes and everything. I'm baddees happy June teens to everybody. Was June teenth, Actually I believe it was it. It used to be specific to the emancipation of slaves in Texas, I believe.
But it's almost like it's become this like proxy to celebrate the end of slavery, because there was not really an official holiday for that, right, and so I think that's what it's it's become to symbolize, like largely is like the end of slavery. It's like an opportunity just to be black and fabulous and have cookouts, of which I participated in a nun. So that's a sad Oh, actually, you know, I did. I we went to the Westchester get it, where I live. West just the is known
for I don't know. I always had this perception of the suburbs of New York as being like where the brown people stop. But I've been pleasantly surprised, like our neighborhood is so diverse. And they had the African American Heritage Festival like down the street from us, So it was actually just a we have this nice little nature path that we can walk to this like public park where they had the festival, and they had like really
good food and it was nice, nice little surprise. What God, that was my Juneteenth?
Your Juntee's big big off yourself. Yeah, so both of us had you like message me. Remember you messaged me like we were talking, I think, like post last podcast about your ac quote. Girl, I just got a quote today and I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna be hot girl. They told me sixty thousand dollars. I was like, am I buying a new house? I'm sure? Like what? All right?
You know Misery Loves Company. I'm actually kind of excited that you got a terrible bit because then you were telling me your bid was like way less than mine. I was like, you, no, it wasn't.
Well, it was just him them, like you know, like our project manager saying that this is what it should be between and I said, oh, okay, so we got such a high bid. I'm like, is that is that? You know? This doesn't sound right? But like I said, he does commercial, so you know, I said, I can't wait for for him to get back from vacation so I can be like, sir, do you know somebody who will do it for fifteen thousand? That's looking good right about now, because honestly, we're not We're not going to
pay sixty thousand dolls. We're I mean, we'll just be putting units in the window because this is not our forever house and that's just so much. And that's just ac like we have to get the house rewired, you know, So that's like that's no negotiable. So and I'm assuming that's going to be probably twenty thirty thousand dollars, but that's just something you have to do unless you want to die in a fury of fire, you know, so you trade offs. Yeah, exact exactly. Oh boy, So yeah,
I'm not exactly happy right now. So when he came today, we still have a few more quotes to do, but I'm not feeling all that optimistic.
Listen, forget all these quotes. Man, We've gotten so many quotes. I'm so at this point, I'm glad that we've sort of taken our time. But the like these people out here. I guess the economy is good and they have a lot of jobs, and I'm very happy for them and their families, But why can't they return calls and show up when they say they're going to show up, Because it's almost like they're like, oh, you need us more than you know we need you, And that is what's
been challenging. So anybody out there who's doing a home improvement project, like whether it's small, large, whatever, we are here with you, alongside you.
Yes, that's the only thing that's been kind of helped. It's nice like when I post something on social and someone kind of shows me, like sends me like a video of like what they're fixing up. So it's been like a nice little nick community of people who are both excited and dismayed by the prom.
I'm thinking, like, I think part of my problem is I think I'm always, i think healthily pessimistic about finances in general. I'm always like, well, what if I break my back and what if you know, we're we're kind of planning on the assumption that everything is going to continue going a certain way, and that is where I'm always in with Like, but this could happen kind of like negative Nancy, and I you know, it's frustrating to my husband because of course he wants like I'm kind
of bursting his bubble. He loves this whole thing. He loves this is a dream, He's always wanted this. But I mean, I'm happy to be the negative one because I kind of feel like you need that balance at a certain point. You got to stop agonizing about it and just make a decision with the best information that you have. I'm talking to myself here. Okay, I'm sorry, I'm doing that thing where I have a problem and I'm like talking to myself.
Out of it.
I do that.
Oh or just prey, just pray.
No, it's true. And that's we two. Here's the thing that I do. Like that my my, uh it's Blue Design, Blue Blue Design and Development BLU.
Like.
So, our project manager, one of the things that he talked to us about is really understanding price per square foot, you know, and I didn't really get it before he said, so let's just say, like I think our house is like two thousand, two hundred and fifty square feed right, like of livable space, right, and so there is an average price for square foot in like the section that
we live in in Newark. So if we bought the house for one eighty and we put let's just say one hundred thousand dollars worth of work into it, then that's you know, three thousand, three hundred and eighty thousand, and then you divide that by the square foot of the house and you get your price per square foot. So what he's teaching us is as we make decisions, like so that way kind of takes the emotion out
of it. How like this is going to increase the you know, like, how is that going to affect the price per square foot? Because that's how an investor thinks, and so it doesn't make sense like, you know, like if we invest sixty thousand dollars in the ac how much of that where are we actually going to get back if we sell? You know, are we going to
get back forty thousand? Now, if we were living here forever, I would for sure, I don't know that i'd pay sixty, but we'd find a way to get like central air throughout the house because I'm like, well, we're going to be living here like forever, like you know, barring any major emergency, but we know for a fact that this is not our forever house. We literally won't be here.
Our plan is between two and five years maximum, and so it just doesn't make sense to invest that much money because I don't We're just not going to get it back. And when I look around the neighborhood, because that's something I did too, I see next I wonder why there's a lot of really beautiful homes while you don't really see I don't see that much central air.
I see a lot of like units in the window, and I'm like, oh, because these homes are built in like nineteen twenties, a lot of the homes in the area where I'm living. And so I understand now because it just doesn't make financial sense to make that level of investment unless it makes the emotional sense of I'm staying here for like a really long time. And so I'm just like yeah, and so like, I mean.
It makes perfect sense if you guys are just living in a few years totally listen.
Like before it used to be like oh, because you know, you see on HGTV they'll be like, oh, the property brothers reno, will it takes seven weeks?
What in the lying I literally throw my shoe at the television. Now I'm like, it's not true.
Like that's honestly such a lie because such just waiting for the permit is like a month, yeah, like you know, and so I'm just like, yeah, I mean before when we first bought, we were like, ooh, you know, we'll be in there in a couple of months. Now I'm just like, please, please, little baby Jesus, can we be in by the end of the year. That is my That is my prayer that by the end of the
year that I'll be able to sleep into bed. That it's not our apartment, but you know, but either way, it's our's right.
Say if you want to make a contractor laugh, make plans, isn't that how that goes? No, Okay, listen, we have to talk about this.
We have to.
I'm demanding it because it really struck my heart this article in the New York Times that I read over the weekend about how in two thousand, what years is twenty eighteen, women are still like pregnancy discrimination against women in the workplace is still rampant. And the reason this, of course struck my attention is, I mean, I think it's no secret that you're obviously thinking about starting a family.
I know you don't have a traditional job, but I do, and I think about this all the time, not necessarily because I'm trying to get pregnant tomorrow, but I feel like to be a woman like there. People just don't
understand what it's like. I mean, when you when you when you purposefully know you have to plan your career around this, you know, giving creating life and creating a human and not only does that change your body dramatically, but then after that, like when the baby is born, understanding that you're only going to be able to spend so much time with it because of your career and trying to plan around that. It's just like it's almost like you're in it alone as a woman, like you're
if your employer is not supporting you. And people always talk about, you know, why should we have maternity you know, why should we pay for maternity benefits for someone who is purposefully you know, getting pregnant on their own time, you know, not on the workplace or whatever. You know, why should we provide those benefits? And I it's just astounding to me that in twenty eighteen, there's still women
who are getting passed over for promotions like this. You have to read this article passover for promotions, demoted or just outright fired or laid off the minute they either request maternity leave or let someone know that they're pregnant. Like the most heartbreaking story this one woman named Tisha who worked at Walmart I think in Jacksonville, Florida. She was working in I think the bakery or the like,
the prepared food section. She used to have to lift these heavy boxes, like you know, all the time as part of her day to day work. And her doctor, when she became pregnant with her fourth child, said, you know, because of this pregnancy you've had pain before, you need to not lift anything more than twenty pounds. And she went to her manager and the manager said, and this
is what she says. Her manager says that, I don't know, back in the early two thousands or the nineties, like Demi Moore, the actress, I don't know, she used to she did an interview on like David Letterman when she was really pregnant, and apparently she did gymnastics. So her manager's response to Otisha was, well, Demi Moore is over on TV doing gymnastics while she's pregnant, Like, why can't you lift a box?
That's just so honestly so ignorant, Like to me, it just shows why more women need to be in positions of power in in corporate America or otherwise, or whether owning a business or whatever, because that doesn't even make any sense. It's so crazy because when we had our when we had I think it was three women on our team had like babies. Literally, it was like a baby in November, a baby in December, a baby in January.
And I didn't even have like a time frame. I mean, I guess because we're also we're small still, but it was just we knew it was happening obviously because we were all excited and everybody on the team has a buddy, and the only request was prep your buddy to be able to take care of your your core deliverables. And sometimes it met like tamor who's our manager for the Liberature Academy. Tambora had such a big position, so she prepped three people to do her full role, and I
didn't give her a time frame. I was like, come on back when you're ready, and I think she was gone for like a month, and a half and she's like, I think I want to come back now, and we were like, okay, I mean not to say. I mean, I'm sure it's like become a bigger company, it'll be a little bit more structured. But I it's just so crazy to me that you would request for Like why should a woman have to choose? Like, you have a mom, right, You're here as a result of your mom somehow making
a way to have you. I just don't understand why people don't see the connection between the fact that you have someone gave birth to you and other people are giving birth as well, and to provide a space for that to happen in a way that doesn't jeopardize them being able to take care of their family.
Well, it's the stigma around becoming pregnant or becoming a mother too, that that is what I think does damage, Like the stigma. So someone who requests time off because they have childcare gaps or their kid is sick is looked down upon and some by some employers or some managers more negatively than someone who asked time off because they hurt their back or they got sick over the weekend. Like there's just a stigma around it, like, oh, you know, they're not as committed.
I mean.
This article cites a study that shows that for every child a woman has, it takes away four percent of for hourly wages, while men somehow increase their way just by six percent when they become follers. It just doesn't it just doesn't compute. I don't know. I'm just getting like the error message on a calculator where it's just like zero zero zero zero zero, and it's just, uh, it's sad because you do.
I don't know.
I'm maybe I'm like crazy, but I want to believe that I can have a great career and have a kid and that it won't Maybe I'm just naive, but I don't want to believe that my choice to start a family would it would hurt my career, you know, or make people think of me differently. I don't know. There's no women also working above me at my job. My direct manager is a man, an amazing man. Love him.
He's great.
I don't I don't foresee any issues. But that's everyone I look at my company. Every single one above me unless you unless you switch over to HR is a white male yeap like one hundred percent. And you know, I don't think my two I don't. I know that my direct manager doesn't have kids, and there's not a lot of people on my team who have kids. So I think I might be like a freak of nature, like when I, you know, finally pop out a kid or something, it's gonna be like uncharted territory. I think
for our team. But uh, I think whether my managers we haven't obviously discussed it. I don't think it's anything you need to discuss beforehand, But I think about it when I'm laying out my plan a year or two from a year or two from now, Like, do I have someone who can do what I do while I'm away?
You know?
Do we have systems in place where if I were to be gone for a few months, like the whole place when it comes crashing down?
Yeah, that's systems. That's the part that makes it the you know, systems and backups make everything possible, you know. So yeah, I remember when Tammver came back, She's like, Wow, it's like you guys didn't even need me. I'm like, oh, we always need because we do. But it was just nice then, like everything didn't fall you know didn't go to to Helen hand basket because she was in there because she'd done such a good job with training folks.
But it didn't mean that we didn't need her. So it was just nice all around to know that, because this is the thing I always say, even for the women that work for me, like our big thing is no one should feel because we've all felt like this. No one should feel like they're not able to get sick or go on vacation or you know, like no one on the team should feel that like that. You have to like, if I don't do it, what's going to happen? So everyone, it's mandated you have your backup folks,
including me, including my business partner. He just brought on his brother, so we have two guys now, woo. He just brought on his brother to be his backup. Because it was like, no one should feel like, Okay, you know that my presence, I don't care death or not. I must be present. And I think that helps a lot with allowing people to know that, like, well, your job is secure, but you know you're able to be
a human being. But yeah, I'm glad you brought this up though, cause I think a lot of people are listening, like, I wish my job, and there are jobs out there that have that. It's just they might not be super easy to spot, but there are jobs that allow for that. And that's something you're gonna want to ask. In my twenties, I think any of your twenties, you know, for the most part, I didn't really think about things like this.
It's not until I hit my thirties that I thought about things like insurance and time, you know, time away and that kind of stuff. Now that we've buzzed you up with our buss worthy, are you ready to break your boost?
I have a really exciting boost. Well exciting for me, okay, go for it. Well it's not super exciting, it's just exciting because I' Nigerian. I just want to say, super egos, don't you worry.
So right now, the World Cup is going on, and for those of you in the United States, you're like, what's that because you know you don't watch soccer, but the whole world watched soccer. Were literally like the only country that's not super into soccer. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm not super into soccer, but being Nigerian in this time, of year when when Nigeria plays soccer is huge in Africa and Central America and South America and everywhere. Honestly,
so Nigeria one like last week. Sometimes they lost today to Argentino one to two. But I just want to pick up the super egos because they first of all, they got their uniforms. I don't know, have you seen the pictures, Mandy of their new uniforms, like Nigeria's. Yes, well it's only because it became this huge thing. So they're thereby Nike. I can't remember the name of the designer,
but there are. They are so so like funky fresh and like they sold out everywhere, and it was like a huge story because it was like Nigeria revealed their new uniforms and they sold out everywhere. People who weren't even into soccer or didn't even you know, weren't wearing them because they were Nigeria uniforms. They sold out because
that's just how how like cool they look. And so it was just a huge story that the uniforms that are just amazing, and they are and so if you have some, it's not easy to get a hold of. But so one for having the dopest uniform of all the World Cup teams and for playing your heart out today, Argentina, you played well. Obviously, Nigeria we did what is it Nigeria? No, did carry last? That just means we never go last, even when we lose. And so yeah, that's my boost.
This is my Nigerian team. I can remember being really really little. I think we had made it to the finals. Not really little, maybe I was like in middle school or something, and I just remember like my dad making us all wear like these T shirts he had made, which is crazy, and he was sad.
Made your own T shirts, Oh my god, love it.
Yeah, no, he made t shirt that was selling them. But we didn't win. So we ended up having like eighty T shirts that I'm sure still in the attic somewhere because he just knew if they won, those T shirts would have been you know, would have sold. But they didn't win. So here we are gambled.
He gambled, Yeah he did.
But yes, I just want to boost up Nigeria's World Cup. Nigeria is national soccer team. You know, you guys have played well. I don't know if they play again, but you know, hopefully they will and Yeah, that's it. That's my little booth for today.
Well booth, that's a good one. I kind of am on team Argentina, so it's sad that they beat you, but yay Argentina. It's okay only because I I basically just am on the team of whoever, like whatever country I've been to that I like the most, and I Argentina was the first country where I ever like watched soccer, so I have a little little soft spot for them. But uh, that's cool. I'm sure their uniforms are way uglier than Nigeria.
So this is true. Do we have any good questions?
We do have some questions. If you guys want to send us some questions, you can head to Brown Ambition Podcast dot com. Got it this week? You can send us an email directly at brann or sorry not at send us an email directly at Brown Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com.
You just did it again at how do I do well?
I had to say that time that at meant like at at not like you know, like it was a necessary at necessary preposition? Is that a proposition?
All right? Whatever? Good question?
We have a couple of good questions. One comes from listener Kamiko. What a pretty pretty name. She says, Oh, this is really funny. She says, I am two seconds. I guess we missed her. Then she said, I am two seconds away from taking out a personal loan with Sofi. I went to Magnify Money, Oh hi, thank you, and used the personal loan comparison chart, and then went a step further to do some comparisons based on the answers
to my questions. So we have a personal loan comparison chart where you can put in basically how much debt you have, and then what type of loan you could take out and how much you would save if you consolidated your debt with a new loan. So she used this calculator cool. So her math said that she can take out a twenty thousand dollars loan, and this is
a Sofi loan. Twenty thousand dollars was Sofi at eight point seventy five percent APR for three years, leaving her there just one monthly payment of about six hundred dollars. Her plan is to use that twenty thousand dollars loan to pay off several debts, including a couple of credit cards, her auto loan and a personal loan on a monthly basis, this would save for four hundred dollars and over the course of three years she would save over fourteen thousand dollars. Yes,
but she says she is hesitating. She says, why am I hesitating?
I don't know.
What the issue is. So I thought this was interesting because it just shows like even when the math is showing you that the answer is right, and again, like, at the end of the day, this is your decision. You have to make a decision that's best for you. But when the math speaks facts, one must listen. I think on paper, based on what you've told me, Yes, it absolutely would make sense for you to consolidate those
three types of debt she has. She says she wants to consolidate credit cards, a car note, and another personal loan. I mean, so long as those rates on those debts are higher than the eight point seventy five percent APR on this personal loan with so fi, I can't think of a reason why not to.
Yes, And I mean I get it because sometimes I get like that too, when like I, you know, you you're struggling for so long, and you find a solution that's like so amazing, and you're like, wait, so there's like this hesitation and it kind of paralyzes you even though you know in your head, okay, this makes sense. So that's okay to feel like that. But girl, I
want you to think before maybe this will help. Before I come into any sort of like money or like savings or anything, I like to create the new budget before the money comes, so like, I'll go back to my budgets. I always keep it in like an Excel spreadsheet, so that way it's easy to fix. I go back into my budget and I do the new numbers. So that way, by the time that I'm able to like that that new four hundred, it's not reabsorbed back in
everyday life. It's already been allocated. Because I'm working on this. I'm working from this new budget that I created. So maybe do that so that way you're like, okay with this four hundred, maybe two hundred will go to savings and whatever it else you're gonna do with it, but allocate that money out so it's not it's so easy for money to be reabsorbed back into your day to day life. So just create a new budget, allocate that
four hundred dollars a month out into specific places. Automate those allocations, and girl, get your coin and.
Three years you're gonna have fourteen thousand dollars saved. Yeah, like that is real money we're talking. Maybe you know what I think it might be too. It's like when you have a little bit of debt here and a little bit of debt there, and a little bit you know, on different credit cards or loans or whatnot, it doesn't
feel like that much. And maybe what's freaking her out is a twenty thousand dollars loan, Like if that's how much her combined debts are, okay, And maybe it's like this whole this one new loan with twenty thousand dollars. Maybe it's what is making a little bit more real for her, But it doesn't mean doesn't change the fact that you already have that much debt. It's just that it's spread across different and there's maybe some kind of like psychological reason why it feels like more. But I'm
that Sofi wise, I mean, check out I can. I'll send you a link. But Magnified Money has a thorough review on Sofi's products. They started out big in student loan refinancing, and now they've gotten into all kinds of different products. They do mortgages now like personal loans. I haven't heard anything to tell me that Sofi is not a good lender. I also know that they have They have, which is uncommon for private lenders, some protections like if you lose your job or you run into financial issues,
they will tend to work with you. I think they even match barrowers too. They'll try and help you find a new job if you lose your job. They have some sort of like career uh plate not placement, I forget. I don't want to miss, you know, misrepresent what they offer, but some sort of career service. If you lose your job or if you fall in hard times, you can work with them. So they're willing to work with you versus traditional private lenders. He'd be like, and where's my check?
Yeah? I mean, honestly, yeah, I think I First of all, I never heard that that's awesome that so far does that, because most places don't. And so yeah, honestly me too. I haven't really heard anything negative about so Fine, So that's honestly awesome. You don't, it's rare that in finances that you get like a big win like that, It just doesn't happen. Usually you're like yay, and I say two dollars a month that you're like okay, you know, so what you can get a big win like that?
Definitely lean in, be grateful and take advantage.
Yeah, I felt I loved your tip too of actually saving that four hundred dollars versus just letting it get reabsorbent to your budget. That's really smart.
Yeah, well, thank.
You, miss Kimiko. Let us know what you decided. I know we missed you. We only had two seconds a few hours ago. We missed you. But hopefully, hopefully you made a decision that you're happy with and you're on your way to freedom. Yes, all right, next question. I believe this is an anonymous question, so mysterious. Okay, some mysterious. This is actually this is an anonymous I love the da I always want to know how people choose their pseudonyms.
So this is from Janet, quote unquote. Janet says, I'm interested in knowing what your thoughts are on the idea of a parent or another adult establishing credit for a child. Is this necessary? And how young is too young to make a child an authorized user on a credit card. Did either of your parents start your credit history for you before you were able to start it on your own. What do you feel are the benefits or cons to starting to build a credit history for a young preteen child.
I don't know that you need to be a preteen child to start credit.
I felt that you can be an authorized user as a preteen.
I don't think. I think. I want to say that you can kind of start some sort of financial history as young as sixteen. I think because I remember that's when I got my joint like savings account with my dad. And I'm almost positive that because back then you can literally put like, you know, the cable on the baby's name, and you can't do that anymore. You can't do that anymore so and it's honestly not necessary. So my dad helped me to start my my credit journey when I
was seventeen. I was going away to college, and he was like, you know, go ahead and get you a credit card. And I think he had put me on as an authorized user on one of his cards, and he like schooled me on what kind of credit card to get no annual fee, you know, look for like zero percent percentage rate. I could put my books on it and he would pay it off every month. I don't think you need to start sooner than like sixteen seventeen, because like what is your what is your kid buying?
You know, because the purpose of credit, like I say, like they're really young and they're really old, don't need credit unless you are on credit. The purpose of credit is to leverage so you can purchase things that you might not you might not be able to purchase in care. So if you're eighty and you're not trying to buy a car or home, like, well, you know, your credit score is not that important necessarily because you're not also
getting it, you're not getting a new job. And if you're like ten, I mean, your credit score is not that important. So I would say around sixteen seventeen if you're going to start to establish credit early, but preteen, no, Like Supergirl is eleven and I'm not thinking about her credit score until she gets to be like out of high school and then we'll start to make adjustments.
Good call, Time for one more question? Sure, another question from an anonymous listener. She says, Hey, ladies, I have a quick question about credit cards with annual fees. I currently have two credit cards with cash back rewards and want to open a third credit card specifically for travel rewards. Thanks to your previous podcasts, I have been able to reduce my credit utilization by a drastic number by taking out a personal loan and paying off all my balances
in full. I've been comparing offers for a new card, and of course, credit cards with the best rewards come with an annual fee. While I want to maximize my rewards, I don't like the idea of having to pay for a credit card. What are your thoughts on getting a credit card with an annual fee or just sticking with a free credit card with slightly lower rewards, Anonymous, let's say you. I'm going to reread this part, which is what caught my eye. I have been extremely or sorry.
I currently have two credit cards with cash back rewards and one to open a third credit card specifically for travel rewards. Then, she says she recently was able to reduce her utilization on her credit cards by taking out a personal loan and paying off her balances in full. We're that personal loan at though, like she doesn't say
if she paid it off or not? OK, And so my question was going to be, I would recommend paying off the personal loan because you say you paid your balance in full on your credit cards, and it may it does. Yes, you did that, they're paid in full. You still have a new loan, and as long as you have that loan out there, I would I would say, before you take out a new credit card and start worrying about wrecking up rewards, to pay out that credit card, pay off that personal loan first, agreed?
And also two if you so the other two credit cards also have annual fees.
Sounds like they're fee free. She has two fief There are fee free cash back rewards cards out there. They typically have a lower flat rate cash back, but she wants one of these, like, you know, like the Nice Chase Apphire.
Well I'll say this like because honest, that's the first credit card I ever had that had a fee, but it was worth it to me. So you know, it's all about the numbers because I use that card for all of my travel. So one, you know, I make that money back. So that's the question is if you're paying a fee, are you going to make that money back? In the reward. So just today, for example, I have like two hundred thousand points because I use that card so often for travel and all of these things, like
a bunch of travel stuff for my business. So if anybody on my team needs to travel whatever, that's the card that we use. And so two hundred thousand points, my sister who really wants to come with me to Essence Fest, I was able to get and flights are ridiculous right now because she went into the last minute to decide, and so we were able to get her a round trip flight with the points. I think it cost me like seventy thousand points, which I'm like, not happy,
what your sister, I do? I know? And I was just like, you know, because normally it probably would have been around honestly thirty thousand points. But it's because because New Orleans is not that far from Jersey, but because it's essence Fest time, you know, they hid the rates up. But I share all that to say that the amount I think maybe a round trip flight right now is
maybe like fourteen or fifteen hundred dollars. So I was able to not have to pay that fourteen one hundred dollars because I had points that I'd earned, so I can't remember, Mandie, how much is our annual fee for?
So there's two versions. So I let's make this broader than just a Chase card because so these luxury travel cards, the top luxury ones, they typically have fees of four hundred and fifty dollars, which is what the Chase Reserve has, but they can be upwards of like five hundred and fifty dollars on some cards. The lower tier Chase Sapphire Preferred has a ninety five dollars annual fee, which is the way. I think that's fine about Chase card.
Yeah, I think that might be the one I have because I'm like fifty. I don't know if I paid for fifty, but but you see, the math works out. I get, you know, I use enough points to get a few thousand dollars in free perks that are usable perks, so it's worth that that payoff. So you just have to ask yourself, like, you know, does it make sense, like are you going to use a card enough to outweigh what you're paying for it? And if not, then
it doesn't make sense. You might as well just get a you know, travel card where it's not going to charge you to you know, to to have it. Yeah, So to me, it's all about the math.
Do the math and pick a card that fits your lifestyle. Like if you really looking for a travel card because you travel, but be honest, like how much do you travel? And do an estimate of how much travel you have coming up? And some cards give you like the Chase card and other some other cards that Uber has a new credit card, they give you points don just on travel, but also dining out entertainment, so they're really like trying to match lifestyles. So pick the card that fits your lifestyle best.
But at the end of the.
Day, don't take out a card just because or don't rack up stuff because you'll get addicted to the idea of earning points. Because if you can't pay your card off at the end of the month, like I guarantee you, it's never going to be worth it. If you're carrying a balance.
That's a good one. Oh look at that, that's a good one.
Yeah.
Sorry, that was me in church, Like.
Yeah, yeah, I was like, oh something smart, okay.
You know, I don't think about that, Like, you're right, if you're not paying it off every month, And in full. Then it's like ooh, child, like you just paying on paying on pains, so that's a good one.
Are hitting you with a fee up front, and then they're going to be charging you interest on top of that. Like these cards still have high interest rates even if you have great credit like mine I think has a seventeen percent interest rate. So if I ever let that slip automatically, like, it won't be worth whatever I've you know, gotten in terms of points and such. So be honest. And if you have a history of racking up credit card debt, you know you needed a personal loan before.
Just just recognize your weaknesses. Like I know myself and I know that I need to have a conversation and create my own mental credit limit that I can afford to pay off each month, because I too, back in the day, would get obsessed about just getting points points points and whipping out that card anytime I had a reason to and not paying attention to like how much I was actually racking up. Okay, thank you for your question, ma'am.
Those are good questions. Again, you guys can hit us up at Brianambis Podcast at gmail dot com with your questions or go to our website, Briannambisson podcast dot.
Com dot com. Yeah, those are great questions. And if you're going to be at Essence Fest, I hope to see you. That's coming up?
Is that like next week?
When is that?
Uh?
That is is not this weekend but weekend after next. But you know, it's never too early to prep for Essence Fest. It's just a good time of beautiful brownness. Like it's truly Essence Fest is like Brown Ambition person fide. It's almost a half a million women that came last year. I think four hundred and seventy thousand came last year. It's an awesome music festival. But it's just also like
I mean, it's Nola. The food alone. Whoop the food alone, just like just because it's Nola, not because it's Essence Fest.
It's always in New Orleans, right yeah.
Always mm hm. And yeah, it's gonna be a good time and so hopefully I'll see some of you Brown Ambition folks out here. I love it, nannycause more and more when I come out, people are like, oh my god, brod A Bishes tell maybe a Bi. I'm like, look at brown A bushing out here in these streets.
She never takes me anywhere guys I don't can take them anywhere fun. She doesn't want me to go. Honestly, I can't. I there's I always think Essensfest, Oh I should go, But it's always when you tell me this time of year, every year, two weeks before when it's too late. Tynique and I too have seventy thousand points to flight.
Please girl, she owes me how life I was like, whatever I asked for the answer is yes, do you hear me, young lady?
Well, how good?
What are you doing?
We get nothing that exciting. Actually, this is another reason Essence Fence messes me up, because we have I have a standing glamping vacation with my best friends every July. And I'm like, first of all, if you have adult friends, everyone's everyone here's adults. But if you have friends at this age, like it's really hard to get everyone together. But I'm so proud of us because even though one of us had one of our group, the couples in our group had a kid in October, Like, we're still
doing this trip now. Granted it's really it's really like gone downhill from camping, Like now we just don't even camp anymore. It's like full on Airbnb, like there was a there was a crisis because we didn't know if there was central air conditioning or not and everything, like I love. So it's not quite camping anymore. Like so, but the fact is we still get together as a group of friends and I'm I try and chair it. I don't want to be the one to mess up
this trip. So maybe when Essence Fest is not fourth of July, maybe one day I'll make it work. But literally, like never, all right, fine, we'll continue to represent. You should get some brand ambition of business cards, like contact sheets.
No, that's dope.
I can't wait to hear about it. You're you're you're probably speaking right.
Yeah, I'm speaking on Friday and Saturday, and so I'm speaking for Ford and I'm speaking for us and themselves, and so it should be a really good time, a good brown time, exciting. I'm gonna take some videos so people when people say Mandy, I'm like, oh, you want if they had a Mandy Let's record, so I can send it to you.
Yeah, give me fomo. Yeah, definitely you should take over our Instagram accounts. But you should, that's what you should do.
Right, what I have to do my own Instagram.
Fine, does a text me pictures and I'll post
Them all right,